Portrait of the Elephant 2003

LeRoy Neiman made this "Portrait of an Elephant" with what looks like very immediate and direct marks, more like a print in its bold single strokes than a traditional painting. There’s something about the flatness that gets me thinking about how we see animals, not as individual beings but as stand-ins for something else. The colours are all heightened, psychedelic even: pinks, blues, purples, and greens. Look closely at the ivory tusks. They are not just white but have touches of yellow and gold, almost as if the animal is gilded. The paint application is so direct, there’s very little blending. For me, Neiman's marks feel almost like a fast, gestural cartoon, not far from someone like Philip Guston. Both invite us to embrace ambiguity and multiple readings in the world.